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Pierre Poilievre’s Alberta Problem

The separatist movement is putting the Conservatives Party’s loyalties—and its rhetoric—to the test

As separatist rallies in Alberta dominated headlines in recent months, one would expect that members of Parliament whose jobs are potentially on the line with the province’s upcoming referendum would have spent the summer campaigning for a united Canada.

Angus Reid polling has “remain” at 61 percent support for the upcoming Alberta separation referendum

Many federal Conservatives have struggled to balance sympathies for their constituents’ separatist views with a clear stance that favours a united Canada

Some experts expect “leave” activism to ramp up through October but acknowledge that most voters have already taken a side

On October 19, Albertans will cast their ballots in a referendum that will include the question of whether the province should begin legal proceedings for holding a referendum on independence. By mid-August, Angus Reid Institute polling had “remain” at 61 percent support, with those in favour of an independent Alberta at 33 percent. The figures suggest separatist sentiment is no longer relegated to the fringes. The polling also shows a highly partisan line in the sand: while only 7 percent of provincial New Democratic Party supporters want the legal process for a binding referendum on separation to commence, a majority of United Conservative Party voters, at 64 percent, are in favour.

It’s also worth noting that thirty-three out of thirty-seven of Alberta’s federal ridings are Conservative, giving the party considerable sway in the province. And yet, “there’s a lot of silence from a lot of Conservative MPs,” says Duane Bratt, a Mount Royal University political science professor who’s vocally opposed to separation. Most of the silent members of Parliament, he points out, are those with higher concentrations of potentially separatist voters, like those in rural Alberta, and may be separatists themselves.

One of the voices Bratt would expect to hear from is Dane Lloyd, who represents Parkland, a riding outside of Edmonton, and serves as Conservative caucus chair for Alberta. In July, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre named him as the party’s point person on the referendum. According to Bratt, however, though Lloyd has declared himself to be a federalist, “I didn’t know much about him, and I still don’t know much about him, and I don’t know what exactly he is doing.”

Lloyd’s Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts have not shown any public-facing events or media appearances on the topic of separation, beyond two interviews with Global and CBC radio’s Calgary Eyeopener after his appointment, during which he emphasized that he wanted to see “a stronger Alberta within a united Canada.” His office did not respond to multiple requests by The Walrus to interview him or for a schedule of upcoming events.

On September 4, Lloyd announced the launch of Conservatives for Canada, an advocacy group that he noted to the Edmonton Journal was separate from the Conservative Party of Canada. The website includes instructions on how to vote to remain and links to Elections Alberta; there’s no mention of a board or list of participating members of Parliament. Though the donation page promises........

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